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| Lap pool house |
| An indoor pool in the foundations is just one feature of this extraordinary house. |
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This house in Sydney's Vaucluse takes the concept of a home swimming pool to a whole new level. The home features a 22m indoor lap pool, built under the foundations. And the rest of the house is pretty impressive too.
When architect, Manfred Kersch, bought this house, it was a rundown 1930s Californian Bungalow. He was attracted to the Eastern Suburbs block because of its proximity to a well known bird sanctuary, Parsley Bay. He demolished the house and set about building a family hideaway just 13 kilometres from the city.
The house is three storeys and built on a battleaxe block. Manfred's challenge was to maximise sun, light and air, and embrace the surrounding natural reserve. The house is positioned on an angle on the block to allow cross penetration from the sun. There are also lots of skylights, light wells and windows.
Manfred loves geometry (he designed SEGA World), so the house has triangular, square and round windows. He used a small palette of materials to create casual, uncluttered lines. These include marine ply, black butt timber, stainless steel, glass and sandstone. The latter was chosen to blend in with a sandstone rock fountain that the council required be kept for historical reasons.
Other design features include frameless pivot doors. Manfred designed these to create a flow between rooms. The entrance stairwell features an impressive glass block tower that draws light into the core of the house.
Manfred designed all the furniture with functionality and simplicity in mind. In the main bedroom, the bed juts out on the diagonal, to make the most of the view. To keep clutter to a minimum, he built a separate walk-in dresser. The bathrooms are finished in simple mosaic and glass tiles, with each floor a different primary colour. An entire wall in the ensuite is made of glass, again to make the most of the view.
But, it's downstairs that you'll find the piece de resistance — the lap pool. This was built into the house structure and became the starting point for construction. The pool is 22m long, 2.5m wide and 1.7m deep. It's heated to 28°C for year round swimming.
The solid wall opposite the pool is finished in aluminium sandwich panels. Artist, David Humphries, was commissioned to make an art work for the area — opting for a plastic reflective fish.
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More Info
Manfred Kersch
Architect (Sydney)
Mobile: 0409 225 551
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